Washing machine



N0". 15, 1932. WENGER 1,887,971

WASHING MACHINE Filed Anril 27 1929 5 eats-Sheet l David M WEz dar Nov. 15, 1932. WENGER 1,887,971

WASHING MACHINE Filed April 27, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 1-- v 'Illllll Nov. 15, 1932. D. M. WENGER 1,887,971

WASHING MACHINE Filed April 27, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 David 1y. wager Patented Nov. 15, 1932 NT tries Y DAVID M. WENGER, OF LEOL'A, PENNSYLVANIA WASHING MAGHINE Application filed April 27,

The invention forming the subject matter of this application is an improvement on the type of washing machine disclosed in my United States Patent No. 1,444,993, February 13, 1923.

The main object of the invention is to improve generally the structural details of the machine, and to render the several parts thereof readily detachable from each other and accessible for replacement or repair.

The main improvement over myprior construction resides in mounting the washing receptacle so that it may be brought to rest without stopping the motor controlling the rotation thereof, and may even be removed from its supporting bearings while the motor is in operation.

I have also'improved the mternal construction of the washing receptacle in order to add to the-efliciency-of its operation, and have formed the closures for the opposite ends of this receptacle in such manner that they may be-sn-apped into locked position thereon without the necessity of turning them into exact predetermined position relative to the circumference of the open end of the said receptacle.

The invention consists in the combination and in the several subcombinations and details of structure more specifically set forth in the ensuing description, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and defined in th appended claims.

.In the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Fig. 1 is a central vertical section through the washing receptacle part of the machine, with the supporting structure for the receptacle shown in elevation;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the machine w th part of the supporting standards broken away;

Fig. 3 is a perspectiveview of a controller forming part of this invention;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of a series of ribs forming part of the internal construction of the washing receptacle;

Fig. 5 is a perspective vie-w of a slightly modified form of rib constituting one of an- 1929. Serial nopasana.

other series of ribs forming part of the internal construction ofthe washing receptacle;

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section on the line 66 of Fig. 1, the details of construction of the washing receptacle being omitted' for clearness of illustration;

Fig. 7 is a horizontal section on the-line 6-6 of Fig. 1, 'but with the parts shown in-a different position;

Fig. 8 is a horizontal section on the line 66 of Fig. 1, with the parts thereof shown in a different position from those shown in Figs. 6 and 7;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary vertical section through the controller illustrated in Fig.

Fig. 10 is a vertical cross-section taken on the line 1010 of Fig. 9; v

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of oneof the clutch elements forming part of the "controller mechanism shown in Fig.9; 70

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of one of the trunnion bearings for rotata bly=supporting the washing receptacle; 7

Fig. 13 is a perspective View 0f one of the trunnions which seats rotatably in one of 75 the bearings and rotatably supports the washing receptacle; 1

' Fig. 14 is a perspective view of one of the trunnion elements;

Fig. 15 is a vertical section taken on the line 15 15 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 16 is a vertical section taken on the line 1616 of Fig. 6.

' As shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, he washing receptacle designated generally, by the reference character 1 is mounted for rotation about a transverse axis in a rectangular supporting structure 2, which may be constructed of angle irons or any'other' suitablematerial in any desired form.

A washing receptacle comprises "a cylindrical body 3, formed of any suitable noncorrosive sheet metal, and provided with perforations 4 to permit the washing fluidcontained in a tub (not shown) to. circulate through said perforations into and through the interior of the washing receptacle for cleansing material placed therein. circular partition 5 extends across the center of the body 3 and is secured to said body by the an i receive the rivets or other securin nular clamping plates 6 and 7, of L-shaped cross-section, of which the vertical part thereof may be suitably riveted to the body portion. otherwise secured to the horizontal part of the clamping plates 6 and 7 The cups 8 and 9 are cylindrical and are riveted to the partition concentrically with the body 3, in order to form devices f r squeezing the material being Washed during certain positions of the washing receptacle in the rotation thereof. Also secured to the body of the receptacle at diametrically opposite parts thereof are the ribs 10. each of which is provided with lugs 11,12 and 13.

Four of these ribs are employed in each receptacle, and all of them radiate from the center thereof, and each of these ribs is suitably secured to the body 3 and to the partition 5 by rivets or other suitable securing means. These ribs 10 extend along the body 3 right down to partition 5, and the plates 6 and 7 are split to contact with the opposite sides of the ribs and to permit the said ribs to have their lower edge seated properly on partition 5.

Four other ribs 14 are secured to the body 3 and the partition 5 and on opposite sides thereof on a diameter at right angles to the plane of the ribs 10. The ribs 14 dlffer somewhat in construction from the ribs 10, as they are provided with flanges 15 and 16 extending from opposite sides of the rear vertical edge of said ribs. Lugs 17 extend laterally from the bottom edges of the ribs 14, and are apertured to receive rivets or other suitable securing means for fastening the ribs 14 to the partition 5. The flanges 15 and 16 are also apertured to receive suitable rivets or other securing means for fastening the ribs 14 to the cylindrical body 3.

The corner of each of the ribs 14 is provided with recesses 17 and 18 to permit each rib to seat against the wall 3 and the partition 5 and extend over the flangesof the clamping plates 6 and 7. This construction is to provide for a very stiff and strong foundation to receive trunnions 19 and 20 riveted or otherwise suitably secured to the upright flanges of the plates 6 and 7 through the body 3 of the washing receptacle.

The trunnions 19 and 20 are somewhat similar in construction, and each of them comprises an arcuate plate 21 provided with apertures 22 at the corners thereof adapted to means for fastening the plate 21 to the bocy 3 and the clamping plates 6 and 7. A cylindrical trunnion 23 extends perpendicularly from the plate 21; and at the center thereof is provided with a stud 24 (see Fig. 13), having clutch cams 25 and 26 extending from diametrically opposite sides thereof.

The stud 24 is cylindrical, and the central bore 27 thereof has its axis alined with the diameter of the partition 5. This bore 27 The partition 5 may be riveted or forms a bearing adapted to receive rotatably the end 28 of the driving shaft 29 (see Figs. 6 and 14).

Bearings 30 and 31 for the trunnions 19 and 20, respectively, are suitably secured to upright members 32 and 33, respectively,

forming part of the supporting structure 2' moved from said bearings, even while the drivingshaft 29 is in rotation; in the second position, the said mechanism may be 3 manipulatedso as tolock the washing receptacle rotatably in its trunnions, and at the same time be free from rotation by the driving shaft 29; in the last position the mechanism is positioned so as not only to lock the washing receptacle 1 rotatably in its trunnion bearings 30 and 31, but also to lock one of the said trunnions to the driving shaft 29, in order to impart the rotationof the said shaft 29 to the Washing receptacle 1 as a whole. I V 7 On the right hand side of the machine as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, andon the side opposite to the trunnion bearing 30, there is mounted a gear box 34 which is suitably, secured by a flange 35 to the upright member 32, which is provided with a cup-like receptacle 36 suitably secured to said upright member toform a positioning seat for the flange of the gear box 34. V The cup-like receptacle 36 is provided with a boss 37 against which is seated the boss 38 of a bevelled gear 39 which is secured to the shaft 29 to be rotated thereby by means of a pin 40. A driving pinion 41 extends from the drive shaft 42, which is journaled in a bearing 43 (see Figure 1) at substantially right angles to the shaft 29, and which has the end thereof provided with a tongue 44 adapted to be connected to any suitable fitting for rotation by a motor or other source of rotary power.

On the other side of the supporting member 32 the drive shaft 29 has keyed thereon a sleeve 45 which is provided its outer end with a flange 46 and has a disk 47 secured to'one end thereof by means of screws 48. v A ring 49 of a diameter permitting it to slide freelyon the flange 46, is provided with an inturned flange 50 having an internal diam- 1.;

eter slightly greater than that of the sleeve 45 in order to permit it to slide freely on said sleeve. The two flanges 46 and 50 are normally held in contact with each other by means of a coil spring 51 surrounding the sleeve 45, and having one end thereof abutting against the flange 59,wh-ile the other end abuts against the disk 47.

It will be noted (see Fig. 12) that the trunnion bearing is secured to the upr1ght member by means .of lugs .52 to the upright member 32. The receptacle 1 is shown in Fig. 6 in the position relative to the driving and supporting mechanism in which it may be inserted in and removed from the bearings :30 and 31, regardless of whether the driving shaft 29 'is rotating or'not. As shown in Figure 7, the trunnion bearing 30 has the upper part of its outer end cut away to form a ledge 54, and .as shown in Figure 12 tie trunnion bearing 31 is composed of a semi-cylindrical support 56 surroundin .the lower portion of a sleeve '55 and projecting through said sleeve so as to form a ledge 53. The ledge 53 forms a vertical shoulder and the ledge 56 forms a similar shoulder 56; and the distance between these shoulders is very slightly greater than the distance between the ends 57 and 58 of the trunnions 19 and 20.

The left hand side of the machine as shown in Fig. "6 is provided with a clutch box 59 secured by bolts or other suitable fastening means 60 to the uprightmember 33. A boss 61 extends outwardly from the structure 33 and inside of the clutch box 59 to form a bearing for a thrust rod 62 which is adapted to slide in the said bearing toward and from the trunnion 20. A clutch disk 63 is secured to the thrust rod 62 by a. pin 64, and a coil spring 64 is interposed between the flat face 65 of this clutch disk 63 and the inner face of the clutch box 59 around the boss 61 thereof. In order to prevent rotation ofthe clutch disk 63 and the rod 62 keyed thereto, the disk 63 is provided with a lug 66 having a groove 67 formed therein to slide along a tongue 68 formed on the inner wall of the clutch box 59.

The rod 62 and the clutch disk 63 are thus slidably but not rotatably mounted in the clutch box 59. In order to slide the rod 62 inwardly toward the trunnion 20, the outer edge of the clutch box 59 is provided with a flange 69; and on this flange is seated a cover 70 for the clutch box having a flange 71 formed thereon and adapted to fit snugly into the inner periphery of the clutch box 59.

The cover 70 (see Fig. 10) is provided with a lug 72 which seats in a notch 7 3 formed in the flange 69 to provide correct position of the cover on said flange. The cover is socurely bolted to the flange 69 by means of the bolts 74.

The cover 70 is centrally apertured and is provided with a stud shaft 75 axially alined with the rod 62. On the inner face of the cover 70 there is mounted rotatably, a clutch plate 76 provided with cam faces cooperating with similar cam faces on the disk 63. The clutch plate 76 is keyed to the stub shaft 75;

-- and on the outer end of the shaft 75 there is 79 are provided with upturned projections 80 and 81, which form limiting stops engageable with opposite sides of the member '78 to stop the handle 77 in predetermined positions of rotary adjustment.

The stop member '78 (see Fig. 6) is bored to receive a compression spring -82 which abuts V .at one end against the bottom of the boring in the member 78 and at its other end contact with a ball "83 in order to force the ball into frictional contact with the arcuate plate 79. This plate is provided with three little counter-sinks, of which only those designated by the reference characters 84L and 85 are shown; and these countersinks are adapted to receive and seat the ball 83 in order to lock the handle 77 in position predetermined by the location of the said .countersinks.

As shown in Fig. 3, the handle 7 7 has three definite positions, and these positions are indicated by the words Remove, Stop and Start. When the handle is in the posi tion designated by the Word Remove the trunnions 19 and 20 and the clutch mechanisms on each side of the receptacle 1 are in the position shown in Fig. 6. As will be apparent from Fig. 6, which is a horizontal cross-section, the receptacle 1 may be lifted bodily from the trunnion bearings 30 and 31;

because, in this case, the rod 62 and the driving shaft 29 are out of engagement with the bore .27 of theistud 24, and the recesses formed above the ledges 53 and 54 are specifically provided topermit the removal of the trunnions 19 and 20 bodily from the trunnion bearings 30 and 31.

On the Opposite side of the supporting structure 33, the rod 62 hassecured thereto by means of a pin 86, a sleeve 87, which is adapted to be moved with said rod 62 into contact with the cylindrical stud 24. The end of the rod 62 projects from the face of the sleeve '87, a distance slightly less than the depth of the bore 27 formed in the stud 2d. By this construction, it will be apparent from Fig. 7, that this projecting end 88 of the rod 62 will seat in the bore 27 and prevent removal of the trunnion .20 from the trunnion bearing 31. The clutch plate 76 and the clutch disk 63 are provided with cooperating inclined cam faces 89 and 90 of any well known construction and, as will be apparent from Figs. 7 and 8, the rotation of the stub shaft 75 by means of the handle 77 will cause rotation of the clutch plate 76 over the clutch disk 63, and by sliding movement ofthe cam faces relatively to one another will push the thrust red1 62 to the right, as shown in Figs. 6, 7 an '8.

The clutch plate 76 is provided with flat parts 91 and 92 (see Fig. 11) adapted to cooperate with similar parts formed on the clutch disk 63 to lock the said disk and plate in the position shown in Fig. 8 with their cam faces out of contact witheach other, in order to avoid any likelihood of stopping of the machine because of the thrust of the spring 64, efiecting, through the inclined cam faces, movement of the thrust rod toward the left, to the position shown in Fig. .6, and thereby cause accidental disconnection of the receptacle rom the driving shaft 29.

The clutch cams and 26 of the trunnions 19 and 20 are provided with inclined cam faces 93 and 94 adapted to contact with correspondingly inclined cam faces 96 and 96, Figure 14 formed 1n the recess 95 of the sleeve 45.

It is to be understood, of course, that the clutch elements of the trunnions 19 and 20 are adapted to be used only when one or the other of said trunnions is seated in the trunnion bearing 30, the two trunnions being made identical in order that the receptacle 1 may be seated in its trunnion bearing without the necessity of determining which of the trunnions was provided with cam faces, adapted to cooperate with those formed in the sleeve 45. In other words, the receptacle is reversible, so far as the rotary mounting thereof is concerned, in its trunnion bearings and 31.

The sleeve 87 on the thrust rod 62 is adapt ed, when said rod is moved to the right as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, to form a thrust hearing for the trunnion 20 or 19, as the case may be, and also form a base or seat on which the periphery of the stud 24 may rotate.

It will be obvious from Figs. 6, 7 and 8 that when the receptacle is seated in the trunnion bearings 30 and 31 as shown in Fig. 6', the said receptacle may be lifted bodily out of said bearings, whether the drive shaft be rotating or not.

The position of the several parts, as shown in Fig. 6, corresponds to the position of the handle 77 as indicated by the legend Remove on the face of the clutch box. When the handle 77 is moved into the position shown in Fig. 3, and indicated by the legend Stop, the thrust rod is moved by the sliding of the inclined face 89 over the inclined face 90 toward the right, as shown in Fig. 7 This movement brings the sleeve 87 into contact with the stud 24 and moves the end 88, of the rod 62, into rotary locking engagement with the bore 27 of the stud 24. At the same time the pressure of sleeve 87 moves the receptacle 1 bodily toward the right and causes the outer periphery of the trunnion 19 to slide under the closed part of the trunnion bearing 80, and thereby to lock the trunnion 19 against *removal from the trunnion bearing 80. The

yielding resistance of the ring 49 holds the stud of the trunnion 20 firmly against the sleeve 87 on the thrust rod 62.

In the position shown in Fig. 7, it is evident that the trunnion 20 could be lifted bodily from the trunnion bearing 31 if the projecting end 88 of the thrust rod 62 were not seated in the bore 27. However, the trunnion 19, has been moved beyond the recess 55, and is completely encircled by the bearing 30, so as to prevent removal thereof. It will be seen however, that the clutch elements 93 and 94 of the trunnion 19 are still out of engagement with the corresponding elements inthe recess 95 of the sleeve 45. It will thus be apparent that while the washing receptacle is locked against removal from its trunnion bearings 30 and 81, it is not yet in driven contact with the driving shaft 29, and can be rotated manually to any desired position.

Further rotation of the handle 77 from the Stop position to the position indicated in Fig. 3 by the legend Start, thrusts the receptacle 1 still further to the right and causes the clutch faces of the trunnion 19 to engage the corresponding clutch elements in the sleeve 45, and thereby locks the receptacle 1 to the driving shaft 29 to be rotated thereby. This final position is illustrated in Fig. 8, in which it will be seen that the outer cylindrical shell of the trunnion 19 has moved the flanged ring 49 inwardly against the resistance of the spring 51, and that the projecting end of the driving shaft 29 has entered the bore 27 of the stud 24. In this position, too, the thrust rod 62 has been moved to the limit of its movement by the cooperating engagement of the clutch disk 63 and the clutch plate 76, with the flat parts 91 and 92 of the disk 63 in supporting contact with the corresponding fiat parts on the clutch plate 76.

A cylindrical vacuum cup 118 is fixedly secured in the closure plate 98 and concentrically therewith. The vacuum cup extends downwardly toward the ribs 10 and 14 and has the edge thereof closely adjacent to the corners of said ribs when the closure is securely fastened to the body 3 of the washing receptacle 1. I

The closure plates are adapted to fit either end of the washing receptacle; and the vacuing fluid therethrough. The center partition 5 is also perforated on each side of the ribs 10 and 14 and outside of the cups 8 and 9. The cylindrical body 3 is also perforated so as to permit the free circulation of cleansing fluid therethrough as the receptacle is rotated in the tub, not shown.

ICS

' What I claim is:

'1. A washing machine comprising a support, oppositely disposed alined cylindrical bearings fixed to said support, a cylindrical receptacle having alined diametrically opposite trunnions extending from the opposite sides of said receptacle and rotatably mounted in saidbearings, means extending into one of said bearings and 'engageable with one of said trunnions to cause rotation of the receptacle in said bearings, yielding means in said bearings to prevent driving connection of said rotation causing means with said trunnion, and means engageable with the other trunnion to move the first named trunnion into driven connection with the said rotation causing means.

2. A washing machine comprising a support, oppositely disposed alined cylindrical bearings fixed to said support, a cylindrical receptacle having alined diametrically opposite trunnions extending from the side of said receptacle and rotata ly mounted in said bearings, a drive shaft extending into one of said bearings, cooperating clutch elements secured to one of said trunnions and to said drive shaft, means for holding sald clutch elements normally separated from each other, and means for shifting said receptac'le axially to effect engagement between drive shaft, a clutch coupling between said drive shaft and said trunnion and means for moving said thrust rod against the other trunnion to force said receptacle and the first named trunnion into driven connection with the said drive shaft.

4. A washing machine comprising a support, oppositely disposed alined cylindrical bearings fixed to said support, a cylindrical receptacle having alined diametrically opposite trunnions extending from the side of said receptacle and rotatably mounted in said bearings, a drive shaft extending coaxially with said trunnions into one of said bearings, a thrust rod slidable coaxially in the other of said bearings and against the trunnion supported thereby, means for moving said thrust rod to and from any one of three predetermined positions in said other bearing, and means foryieldingly resisting the movement of said receptacle toward said 5. A support, oppositely disposed cylindricalbearin'gs fixed to said support, a receptacle, trunnions-extending from said receptacle and slidable rotatably in said bearings, a drive shaft extending into one of said bearings, a clutch coupling for connecting said drive shaft and receptacle within said bearing, means for normally holding said r'eceptacle out of driven contact with said drive shaft, and means slidable through the other of said bearings against the trunnion mounted therein to move said receptacle and its other trunnion into-driven engage; ment with said drive shaft. V 6. A support, oppositely disposed cylin-' drical bearings fixed to said support, a receptacle, diametrically opposite trunnions extending from said receptacle and slidable and rotatable in said bearings and removable therefrom, each of said trunnions being provided with cam clutch elements, a drive shaft extending into one of said bearings and having clutch elements engageable with the clutch elements of either of said trunnions when the receptacle is reversed in direction, a thrust rod slidable through the other of said bearings" into and out of thrust contact with the other of said trunnions, a cam disk secured to said thrust rod, a casing coaxial with said bearings and fixed to said support, means on saidcam disk and said casing to prevent rota tion of said disk and thrust rod, and means rotatable on said casing and providedwithcam plate engageable with said cam disk to slide the thrust rod into engagement with the adjacent trunnion to move the clutch elc ments on the othertrunnion into engagement with the clutch elements'on the shaft.

7. A support, oppositely disposed cylindrical bearings fixed to said support, a receptacle, axially alined trunnions extending from said receptacle slidably and rotatably mounted in said bearings and removabletherefrom, a drive shaft extending through one of said trunnions into one of said bearings, cooperating clutch elements on one of said trunnions and on said drive shaft, means "8-. A support, oppositely disposed cylindrical bearings fixed to said support, a receptacle, axially alined trunnions extending from said receptacle slidably and rotatably mounted in said bearings and removable therefrom, a drive shaft extendingthrough one of said trunnions into one of said bearings, cooperating clutch elements onone of said trunnions and on said drive shaft, means for normally holding said clutch elements out of engagement with each other, rectilinearly slidable means engageable with. the other of said trunnions to move the receptacle into driven engagement with said drive shaft, yielding means for normally holding said slidable means out of engagement with the adjacent trunnion, and means rotatable on said support to move said rectilinearly slidable means into engagement with the said adjacent trunnion and to move the receptacle with the other trunnion into driven engagement with said drive shaft.

9. A support, oppositely alined bearings fixed to said support, a drive shaft extending into one of said bearings, a removable receptacle having trunnions slidably and rotatably mounted in said bearings, means for moving said receptacle toward said drive shaft and to a predetermined position in its bearings to lock the receptacle in said bearings but out of operative engagement with said drive shaft and to another predetermined position for locking the receptacle against removal from its bearings and in driven engagement with said drive shaft, and

means for indicating when the receptacle is n any of its said predetermmed positions.

10. A washing machine including a supporting frame, a cylindrical receptacle hav-' ing a central partition between the ends thereof, trunnions extending in diametrically opposite alinement from the side of said receptacle, bearings fixed to said framework and in which said trunnions are rotatably mounted, means. extending through one of said bearings and engaging one of said trunnions to rotate the receptacle, and closures detachably connected to the ends of said receptacle.

11; A washing machine including an open ended cylindrical receptacle having a sub stantially circular partition between the ends thereof, a compression cup secured to said partition concentric with the axis of said receptacle, ribs extending radially from the periphery of said cup to the wall of said receptacle and terminating a short distance below an end of said receptacle, a closure detachably connected to the open end of said receptacle, and a vacuum cup secured to the inside of said closure and having the edge thgreof closely adjacent to the edges of said r1 s. 1

12. A washing machine including an open ended cylindrical receptacle having a sub stantially circular partition between the ends thereof, a compression cup secured to'said partition at the center thereof, a closure detachably connected to an open end of said cylinder, and a cylindrical vacuum cup centrally secured to the inside of said closure and extending toward the compression cup at the center of said partition.

13. A washing machine including an open ended cylindrical receptacle having a circular partition secured to the body of said receptacle between the open ends thereof, closures detachably connectedto' each of said open ends, cylindrical pressure cups coaxial with said, body and secured to said partition with their open ends extending in opposite directions, and cylindrical vacuum cups secured to said closures coaxially with the body of said receptacle and having their open ends extending towards the said partition.

14:. A washing machine comprising an open ended cylindrical receptacle having a circular partition secured to the body of said receptacle between the open ends thereof, closures detachably connected to each of said open ends, cylindrical pressure cups coaxial with said body and secured to said partition with their open ends extending in opposite directions, cylindrical vacuum cups secured to said closures coaxially with the body of said receptacle and having their open ends extending toward the said partition, and ribs secured to said partition and the body of said receptacle and extending radially from the periphery of the pressure cups and vertically toward the vacuum cup to terminate a short distance from the rims of said vacuum cups.

In testimony. whereof I affix my signature.

DAVID M. VVENGER.

. ltTI 

